All I kept thinking was, how the hell did it end up here? What made it fall? I had never seen anything like it before. It had beautiful yellow wings contrasting with it's black veins. I decided to do some research on the monarch butterfly.
According to "Monarch Butterfly" the wingspan of a monarch butterfly can grow between 3½–4 in. Monarch butterflies have a great sense of direction. When migrating they're guided by an "internal compass" that leads them in the right direction. Monarch butterflies typically travel from northern Canada to Mexico City during their migration, covering thousands of miles along their journey. Male and female monarchs can be distinguished by their veins and spots. Male monarchs typically have wider veins than a female, and also have a black spot on the back of each wing. Identifying a monarch caterpillar is not hard to do either, they have yellow, black and white loops running along their body. Monarch butterflies don't usually live past 5 weeks after entering adulthood. I personally found the diet of the monarch butterfly very interesting. From the time they're caterpillars they feed on milkweed ( a wildflower.) Milkweed consists of glycoside toxins, it's not detrimental to a monarch butterfly but is poisonous to an animal of prey. The toxins from the milkweed builds up in the adult monarch and eventually monarchs become poisonous.
.PNG)
This was my favorite picture because it look like a yellow bat, its eyes just fascinate the hell out of me. I wonder what it's last thoughts were, if it even had thoughts.
"Monarch Butterfly." National Wildlife Federation. N.p. n.d. Web. 17 Oct.2014.
This is really cool to know about! I've always loved butterflies and I didnt know that monarchs could become poisonous. This post shows curiosity and interest which is really nice to write with.
ReplyDeleteI can agree with Julia saying that this was and interesting post. I wonder if the poison from the monarch is strong enough to kill a human? Something else that I found out from this blog is that monarchs can be yellow, I thought they were just orange. Overall interesting blog.
ReplyDeleteThis is so interesting and I'm glad you were able to find a butterfly. I remember being ably to see a lot more when I was younger, I don't know why they are a bit harder to find now. Maybe part of its wing is missing because of a predator like a bird?
ReplyDeleteThat's pretty awesome that you found that butterfly! Too bad it died, maybe it was a predator..?
ReplyDeleteOutstanding blog. In Yerington, along the ditch banks, there is a lot of milkweed. We were always catching Monarchs on it and being careful because it is poisonous.
ReplyDeleteYour post was very informational. On time last summer i found a dead butterfly jusf like yours, yellow and all. I found its wing partially cutt off which goes to show how delicate they are. I can picture exactly what you mean when you mention the furry texture of its body. I would have never known the butterfly i found was a monarch, thanks!
ReplyDeleteThis is amazing I finally figured out what those wonderful creatures are named. I found one of those when I was in elementary school I remember it like it was yesterday. The Monarch butterfly impacted me tremendously as a child because I felt like it was a gift from someone the reason I say this is because I found it on a toy cart that I used to play with it was laid perfectly out it was also dead but I still played with it. I had no idea they could be found poisonous that's a shame I was very fascinated by them but now I feel a bit scared despite the fact that I came in contact with it years ago.
ReplyDeleteNice post! It was very informational about insects. Are you going to observe more than just butterflies?
ReplyDeleteI learned so much about monarch butterfly's in your post. Great information, love the pictures. You're cray for grabbing the dead butterfly. Great blog Lily.
ReplyDeleteWow. I'm lucky if I see a monarch butterfly or a butterfly once a year. To find a dead monarch butterfly is awesome. Wonder what other things you will find in your yard. Wonderful blog Lily! :)
ReplyDeleteI liked how you described the wasp.
ReplyDelete